Emefiele And The Law Of Retributive Justice, By Tunde Abatan
Whatever a man sows, so shall he reap says the Holy book in Galatian 6:7-9.
The holy book explains further that human beings reaps whatever they sow.
The Holy book goes further to counsel..’let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up “.
Furthermore, in the Holy book and indeed other faiths, the law of karma is likened to retributive justice.
In my Yoruba parlance it says..Ohun ti o ba gbin lo ma ka’.
You only reap what you sow. If you plant onion or vegetable, you only reap them” and so on.
Thus, as he appeared in the Federal High Court, Lagos, Tuesday July 25, suspended Central Bank of Nigeria, Governor, Godwin Governor, Godwin the Holy book in his hand.
He does so probably as a sort of last defence against the content and prophetic sayings of the holy book, which he has now made his companion from catching up with him.
Though his name is Godwin…not too far from those who earnestly seek God and does his will, it is doubtful whether the embattled and once powerful CBN helmsman ever considered the content and instructions contained in the Holy book he now adored, in his moment of influence and power as the nation’s chief monetary officer.
But that Tuesday, besides the ‘battery’ of lawyers he has employed to ‘save’ him from the pit he has wittingly dug for himself, it is quite apparent that he now resorts to safety from Grace from the Holy of Holies.
It is also not contestable that he must spend part of the ‘loot’ he has gathered in his exalted position for un-interrupted nine years period, to pay for services of law merchants trained to defend both the weak, small, rich and powerful.
There is no gain saying that It is from the powerful and rich men of affluence and influence like Emefiele that their bread must be buttered.
In this season, some of those men in Silk will change houses, wardrobe, cars and their law office. It is their time to thrive since law itself is an ass.
So lucrative this moment has been for lawyers this past few months before and after the 2023 general elections.
They come out in their trendy, new and ragged robes to defend and advocate for both the weak, strong and affluent politicians bent on claiming back their ‘mandate’ from those who snatched them through the ballot box.
Thus, as he stood in the dock that Tuesday while his battery of lawyers struggles to secure bail for him, Emefiele could probably remember (that is if he ever read) the saying by the late erudite jurist, Supreme court Justice Chukwufudi Oputa that, “If a man of power today, closes the gates to Justice, the gates will remain closed when he is out of power at the time, he desperately need to access Justice”.
For Emefiele, whose word months ago before the world closes on him on June 24 when he was suspended, was law in the nation’s banking system, the rule of law he flagrantly disobeyed twice when his failed naira redesign project was on, has now become the lynch pin for his career.
That he even disobeyed the apex court- the Supreme court, waiting for then President Muhammadu Buhari, to give nod to him to obey the formers order for the extension of deadline for the poor masses to exchange their hard-earned money, is now being used to determine his fate is instructive for other men of today who obviously forget easily that there is a tomorrow.
While it is not strange that the hundreds of ethnic jingoists, activists, human rights lawyers and merchant of morals are now crying for him, he forgot too quickly that some of them are among those he has punished with his obnoxious and inhuman naira re-design project.
You reap what you sow!
Yes, the activists and lawyers are right to stand on whichever side pleases them at any point in time, the law of karma is there for application on both moralists and the religiously pious who belief in the principle of sowing and reaping.
Emefiele, who today has surprisingly chosen the Holy book as a defence at this moment of self-inflicted trial, should also be reminded that twice he ignored the national assembly summon during the apogee of his power, to extend and suspend the policy.
While, it is not surprising for ethnic chauvinists and political profiteers to cry foul now, most of them forgot too quickly what ordinary Nigerians went through while they sweat to buy their local currency.
Those whose pregnant wives, children and elderly died in the various hospitals, bank queues and market struggling to collect their hard-earned money will never forget in a hurry the agony and psychological trauma they went through.
In the same vein, owners of several businesses that collapsed with the I’ll fated project never to resurrect again, will also curse the day Emefiele was appointed to his post.
While, it is reasonable to condemn the state organs like Correctional Center and Department of State Services, DSS, causing embarrassment to the country for struggling to have Emefiele in their custody, it must be stated that, that is what you get when men of temporal power and influence subvert rule of fair play and justice while their rule and reign lasted.
As for them of the Correctional Service, their eagerness to have a VIP as guest is understandable for the filthy lucre that will pass under their table to ensure Emefiele is treated like a king in spite of his limited freedom.
Except for its lack of discretion in openly struggling with Prison officials, the men of the DSS have every reason to want to keep their ‘priced’ suspect to avoid organised jail break as is usual with correctional centres.
As for politicians and top holders of positions like Emefiele, clapping over his ordeal, I will borrow them a Yoruba adage which says,” Eniti o ba fe sin Egbon re ni ihoho, ki o mu aburo e dani’.
This translates to, “whoever wants to bury his senior brother alive must take along his own junior brother so the later will learn how to bury him too”.
But for public officials who refused to allow allure of power to set them against the people, they have nothing to fear when judgement day comes as it will definitely for Emefiele, the man who used his position and lust for power to punish Nigerians and attempted to derail democracy they fought hard to attain.